Multichannel preferred device notification

ABSTRACT

Embodiments relate to multichannel preferred device notification. A method includes receiving an electronic notification for a user and determining whether a device group including a plurality of electronic devices is defined for the user. A notification subgroup is identified that includes more than one of the electronic devices located within a predefined overlapping notification range based on determining that the device group is defined for the user. A primary device is identified from the notification subgroup based on a notification priority defined for each of the electronic devices in the notification subgroup. Generation of a notification output corresponding to the electronic notification is triggered on the primary device.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims priority from U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/707,455, filed on May 8, 2015, entitled“MULTICHANNEL PREFERRED DEVICE NOTIFICATION,” the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to device notification and, morespecifically, to multichannel preferred device notification.

Users of electronic devices often have multiple devices available atdifferent times throughout the day. For example, a user may have amobile device, a tablet computer, and a personal computer in closeproximity to each other. One or more of these devices may be capable ofreceiving electronic notifications and in turn, generating notificationresponses to the user, such as an auditory indicator, a visualindicator, or vibration. Notifications can be generated based on avariety of events, such as a text message, e-mail, voice/video call,voice message, application update, or other events. The notificationscan be useful, particularly where a rapid response is needed. However,it can be disruptive to be notified simultaneously on multiple devicesfor the same event.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a method, system and computer programproduct for multichannel preferred device notification are provided. Themethod includes receiving an electronic notification for a user anddetermining whether a device group including a plurality of electronicdevices is defined for the user. A notification subgroup is identifiedthat includes more than one of the electronic devices located within apredefined overlapping notification range based on determining that thedevice group is defined for the user. A primary device is identifiedfrom the notification subgroup based on a notification priority definedfor each of the electronic devices in the notification subgroup.Generation of a notification output corresponding to the electronicnotification is triggered on the primary device.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniquesof the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the inventionare described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimedinvention. For a better understanding of the invention with theadvantages and the features, refer to the description and to thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a system upon which multichannelpreferred device notification may be implemented according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 depicts another example of a block diagram of a system upon whichmultichannel preferred device notification may be implemented accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 3 depicts a further example of a block diagram of a system uponwhich multichannel preferred device notification may be implementedaccording to an embodiment; and

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of a process for multichannel preferreddevice notification according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments relate to multichannel preferred devicenotification. Generation of a notification output from an electronicdevice can be limited based on proximity to other electronic devicesalso capable of generating the notification output, and may be furtherlimited based on time of day and/or location. Turning now to FIG. 1, anexample of a system 100 upon which multichannel preferred devicenotification may be implemented will now be described in greater detail.The system 100 represents a networked environment, such as the Internet,where messages, files, events, audio streams, video streams, and thelike can be transmitted between one or more server and electronicdevices.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes anotification server 102 configured to communicate with one or moreelectronic devices 104A-N over a network 106. The network 106 may be anytype of communications network known in the art and can include acombination of wireless, wired, and/or fiber optic links. Although onlyone notification server 102 is depicted in FIG. 1, it will be understoodthat there can be multiple notification servers 102 which can interfacewith other networked components and electronic devices 104A-N across thenetwork 106 over a geographically wide area.

In exemplary embodiments, the notification server 102 is implemented ona high-speed processing device (e.g., a mainframe computer, an embeddedcomputing device, or the like) including at least one processing circuit(e.g., a computer processor/CPU) capable of reading and executinginstructions, and handling interactions with various components of thesystem 100. Alternatively, the notification server 102 can be embodiedentirely in hardware including circuits and memory to perform processesas described herein. In the example of FIG. 1, the notification server102 includes a notification server manager 108 configured to trackdevice status 110, device locations 112, and notification preferences114 for one or more users of the electronic devices 104A-N. Thenotification server manager 108 may be an application executable on thenotification server 102. The device status 110 and device locations 112can be stored in volatile memory of the notification server 102 forrapid updating as the electronic devices 104A-N change in geographiclocation and change between an active and sleeping status. The devicestatus 110 holds activation status, e.g., active/sleeping, for one ormore of the electronic devices 104A-N. The device locations 112 holdlocation indicators defining a location of one or more of the electronicdevices 104A-N.

The notification preferences 114 may be stored in non-volatile memory todefine device groups, a predefined overlapping notification range, andone or more notification priority based on user preferences. Forexample, a user may have accounts for electronic device 104A, 104B, and104N which form a device group, but the devices may not always bepowered-on or configured for active use at the same time. In the exampleof FIG. 1, electronic devices 104A and 104B are within a predefinedoverlapping notification range 116 and form a notification subgroup 118.Electronic device 104N may either be outside of the predefinedoverlapping notification range 116 or have an activation status ofsleeping or depowered. The predefined overlapping notification range 116may define a distance or area in which redundant notification outputs bymultiple electronic devices 104A-104N is not desired. The notificationpreferences 114 can define an order of the notification priority undergeneral conditions and/or under specific conditions. For example, adefault order of notification priority may be to identify electronicdevice 104A as a primary device 120 if active; otherwise identifyelectronic device 104B as the primary device 120 if active; andotherwise, identify electronic device 104N as the primary device 120 ifactive. Thus, in the example of FIG. 1, upon receiving an electronicnotification (e.g., a short message service (SMS) notification), thenotification server manager 108 would trigger generation of anotification output corresponding to the electronic notification onelectronic device 104A as the primary device 120 without triggering anauditory or vibration notification on electronic device 104B.

Multiple ordered lists can be stored in the notification preferences 114for a variety of scenarios that change the order of notificationpriority based on factors such as a geographic location of theelectronic devices 104A-N and/or a time of day. A global positioningsystem interface of electronic device 104B can indicate a geographiclocation of the electronic device 104B that can be used to determine anenvironment type. For example, the notification preferences 114 candefine particular locations as “work”, “home”, “commuting route”, andother such designations. The notification preferences 114 may interfacewith an interactive map application (not depicted) and/or allow the userto tag a current location of one of the electronic devices 104A-N as aparticular environment type. When a location indicator of an electronicdevice 104A-N matches an identified designation, the order ofnotification priority may change, e.g., primary device 120 is an officedesktop computer at work, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) alongcommuting route, and a tablet computer at home. Time of day may also oralternatively be another factor that changes an order of notificationpriority. For instance, at home a tablet computer may be the primarydevice 120 from 8 PM-11 PM, all notifications muted from 11 PM-6 AM, anda mobile device preferred between 6 AM-7 AM.

Other examples of conditions that can define notification priority totrigger generation of a notification output include: notification type,notification topic, and/or notification source that can be defined inthe notification preferences 114. For example, if a notification type isan SMS message, the primary device 120 can default to a mobile phone,while an e-mail notification can be set to default to a laptop computer.Data within an electronic notification may be analyzed to identify anotification topic. For instance, an electronic notification about afamily event may be prioritized to prefer a personal mobile device,while an electronic notification about a business event may beprioritized to prefer a business mobile device. As a further example,where a notification source is defined for notification priority, anelectronic notification from a news service may be prioritized for atablet computer, while an electronic notification from an employer'scomputer network (e.g., defined based on domain name or IP address) maybe prioritized for notification at an employee's work computer (e.g., apredefined desktop or laptop computer).

Where multiple preference categories are defined, a weighting orpriority list for applying the rules can be established in thenotification preferences 114. For example, preferences can be orderedfor evaluation as assigning a greater weight to notification type,location, and time of day notification preferences, with less weightgiven to notification topic, and/or notification source. It will beunderstood that any combination of preferences to establish notificationpriority can be defined in the notification preferences 114, includingfewer preferences or additional preferences beyond the examples providedherein.

In embodiments, notification priorities in the notification preferences114 can be defined on a user or group basis, such that notificationpriorities can be shared between multiple users or customized on aper-user basis. Each user or group administrator can define and adjustnotification policies depending upon security permissions defined formodifying the notification preferences 114. Thus, even though thenotification preferences 114 are depicted as a single entity in FIG. 1,the notification preferences 114 can be further subdivided and/ordistributed over multiple storage locations and with access controls.

In exemplary embodiments, the electronic devices 104A-N can include avariety of computing devices with processing circuits and I/Ointerfaces, such as a keys/buttons, a touchscreen, audio input, adisplay device and audio output. The electronic devices 104A-N may beembodied in any type of computing device known in the art, such as alaptop, tablet computer, mobile device, personal computer, workstation,server, and the like. Accordingly, the electronic devices 104A-N caninclude various computer/communication hardware and software technologyknown in the art, such as one or more processing units or circuits,volatile and non-volatile memory including removable media, powersupplies, network interfaces, support circuitry, operating systems, andthe like. Each of the electronic devices 104A-N can have a correspondingnotification client 122A-N that interfaces with the notification servermanager 108 and/or with other notification clients 122A-N. Thenotification clients 122A-N can transmit location information (if known)and activation status. When one of the notification clients 122A-Nreceives a notification output request and determines that it isexecuting on the primary device 120, an auditory, visual, and/orvibration output corresponding to the electronic notification isgenerated to seek attention from the user.

FIG. 2 depicts another example of a block diagram of a system 200 uponwhich multichannel preferred device notification may be implementedaccording to an embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, communication anddetermination of the primary device 120 is determined between theelectronic devices 104A-N. The notification clients 122A-N executing onthe electronic devices 104A-N can establish point-to-point communicationto discover active members of the notification subgroup 118. Forinstance, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, near-field communication, and the like canbe used to check for neighboring electronic devices 104A-N that areconfigured for the user, as well as location information and activationstatus. Effective range limits of the local communication interface maybe used to define the predefined overlapping notification range 116 ofFIG. 1, where electronic devices 104A-N capable of establishing localcommunication are considered to be in-range. Local copies of the devicestatus 110A-N, device locations 112A-N, and/or notification preferences114A-N can be stored locally on one or more of the electronic devices104A-N enable any of the electronic devices 104A-N to dynamicallydetermine and adjust membership in the notification subgroup 118 anddetermine the primary device 120 as the electronic devices 104A-N arephysically relocated and/or change activation status from active tosleeping or depowered.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a system 300 according to anembodiment. The system 300 is depicted embodied in electronic device 301in FIG. 3 as an example one of the electronic devices 104A-N of FIGS. 1and 2. It will be understood that similar features can be included inthe notification server 102 of FIG. 1.

In an exemplary embodiment, in terms of hardware architecture, as shownin FIG. 3, the electronic device 301 includes a processing device 305and a memory device 310 coupled to a memory controller 315 and aninput/output controller 335. The input/output controller 335 can be, forexample, but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired orwireless connections, as is known in the art. The input/outputcontroller 335 may have additional elements, which are omitted forsimplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters,and receivers, to enable communications. Further, the electronic device301 may include address, control, and/or data connections to enableappropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

In some embodiments, a touch-sensitive display 330 or similar device canbe coupled to the input/output controller 335. Alternatively, input maybe received via a keypad, keyboard, or motion sensitive interface,depicted as input device 345. Extended storage capacity may be supportedusing a memory card 355 interfaced to the input/output controller 335.The input/output controller 335 may also be coupled to one or morespeaker 365 and/or microphone 370 to support customized notificationrecording and playback. In an embodiment, the electronic device 301 cansupport VoIP, cellular transmissions, or other communication protocolsknown in the art. The electronic device 301 can further include adisplay controller 325 coupled to the touch-sensitive display 330. In analternate embodiment, a standard video display is provided in place ofthe touch-sensitive display 330 and other input devices 345, such as akeyboard and touchpad, are used to provide input to the electronicdevice 301.

The processing device 305 is a hardware device for executing software,particularly software stored in memory device 310. The processing device305 can be any custom made or commercially available computer processor,a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among severalprocessors associated with the electronic device 301, asemiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chipset), a macro-processor, or generally any device for executinginstructions.

The memory device 310 can include any one or combination of volatilememory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM,SDRAM, etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, erasableprogrammable read only memory (EPROM), electronically erasableprogrammable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, programmable readonly memory (PROM), tape, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), flashdrive, disk, hard disk drive, diskette, cartridge, cassette or the like,etc.). Moreover, the memory device 310 may incorporate electronic,magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Accordingly, thememory device 310 is an example of a tangible computer readable storagemedium 340 upon which instructions executable by the processing device305 may be embodied as a computer program product. The memory device 310can have a distributed architecture, where various components aresituated remote from one another, but can be accessed by the processingdevice 305.

The instructions in memory device 310 may include one or more separateprograms, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions. In the example of FIG.3, the instructions in the memory device 310 include a suitableoperating system (OS) 311 and program instructions 316. The operatingsystem 311 essentially controls the execution of other computer programsand provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management,memory management, and communication control and related services. Whenthe electronic device 301 is in operation, the processing device 305 isconfigured to execute instructions stored within the memory device 310,to communicate data to and from the memory device 310, and to generallycontrol operations of the electronic device 301 pursuant to theinstructions. Examples of program instructions 316 can includeinstructions to implement the notification server manager 108 or thenotification client 122A-N of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The electronic device 301 may also include a global position system(GPS) receiver 320. The GPS receiver 320 may be used to identify acurrent location of the electronic device 301. An internal clock (notdepicted) can also provide time of day information.

The electronic device 301 also includes a network interface 360 that canestablish communication channels with one or more other computer systemsvia one or more network links. The network interface 360 can supportwired and/or wireless communication protocols known in the art. Forexample, when embodied in the electronic device 104A-N of FIG. 1, thenetwork interface 360 can establish communication channels with thenotification server 102 of FIG. 1 and/or other instances of theelectronic device 104A-N. The network interface 360 may also support oneor more other types of networks, such as a cellular network and/orsatellite communication.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a process 400 for preview serving will bedescribed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The process 400 isdescribed in reference to FIGS. 1-4 and can be implemented by thenotification server 102, one or more of the electronic devices 104A-N,and/or system 300 of FIGS. 1-3. When embodied in the electronic device301 of FIG. 3, processing device 305 can be configured to perform theprocess 400.

At block 402, an electronic notification is received for a user. Atblock 404, the notification server manager 108 or a notification client122A-N determines whether a device group that includes multipleelectronic devices 104A-N is defined for the user.

At block 406, a notification subgroup 118 is identified including morethan one of the electronic devices 104A-N located within a predefinedoverlapping notification range 116 based on determining that the devicegroup is defined for the user. For example, a device group can includeall of the electronic devices 104A-N associated with the user, while thenotification subgroup 118 may be subset of the device group based onlocation, proximity, and activation status. A location indicator and anactivation status of the electronic devices 104A-N can be collected inthe device group. The location indicator and activation status of eachof the electronic devices 104A-N can be determined by periodic polling,and/or may be provided on demand in response to a request. Thenotification subgroup 118 may be filtered to remove any of theelectronic devices 104A-N having a sleeping status.

At block 408, a primary device 120 is identified from the notificationsubgroup 118 based on a notification priority defined for each of theelectronic devices 104A-N in the notification subgroup 118. Anidentifier of the primary device 120 and a membership list of thenotification subgroup 118 can be shared with the electronic devices104A-N of the notification subgroup 118. Identification of the primarydevice 120 may be coordinated through the notification server 102 byhaving the notification server manager 108 perform the determination orrelay information to other electronic devices 104A-N. The notificationpriority defining which one of multiple electronic devices 104A-N shouldbe set as the primary device 120 can change based on location and/ortime of day. An environment type (e.g., home, school, work, etc.) can bedetermined based on the locations of the electronic devices 104A-N inthe notification subgroup 118. The notification priority can bedetermined based on the environment type, where an order of thenotification priority varies based on the environment type, e.g., makeelectronic device 104B the primary device 120 if electronic device 104Ais outside of the predefined overlapping notification range 116 orsleeping. The notification priority can also or alternatively bedetermined based on the time of day, where an order of the notificationpriority varies based on the time of day, e.g., early morning, midday,evening, overnight, etc.

At block 410, generation of a notification output corresponding to theelectronic notification is triggered on the primary device 120. Thenotification output may be an auditory, visual, and/or vibration outputon the primary device 120. The notification output may not be triggeredor can be muted on other electronic devices 104A-N in the notificationsubgroup 118 that are not designated as the primary device 120. Otherelectronic devices 104A-N that are not part of any notification subgroup118 may also receive the electronic notification and trigger anotification output.

Technical effects include selectively triggering notification outputs inresponse to an electronic notification to a single electronic device ina group of electronic devices in close physical proximity.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for multichannel preferred devicenotification, the method comprising: receiving an electronicnotification for a user; determining whether a device group comprising aplurality of electronic devices is defined for the user; identifying anotification subgroup comprising more than one of the electronic deviceslocated within a predefined overlapping notification range based ondetermining that the device group is defined for the user; transmittinga location and activation status request to one or more of theelectronic devices based on receiving the electronic notification forthe user; collecting a location indicator and an activation status ofthe electronic devices in the device group; filtering the notificationsubgroup to remove any of the electronic devices having a sleepingstatus; identifying a primary device from the notification subgroupbased on a notification priority defined for each of the electronicdevices in the notification subgroup; sharing an identifier of theprimary device and a membership list of the notification subgroup to theelectronic devices of the notification subgroup; triggering generationof a notification output corresponding to the electronic notification onthe primary device; and coordinating a reassignment of one of theelectronic devices as the primary device through a notification serverhaving a notification manager, the reassignment based on a change inlocation of one or more of the electronic devices and a time of day.